Marinette maritime center proposed

Research, training facility among Walker's capital project proposals

7:17 AM,
Mar. 19, 2013

The research vessel Sikuliaq rests in the Menominee River after being launched from the dock at the Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard in Marinette. The 261-foot Sikuliaq, named for the Inupiat word for young sea ice, will begin Arctic marine research off the coast of Alaska in 2014.

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Gov. Scott Walker's biennial state capital proposal issued late last week includes $5 million in funding for a new maritime research, entrepreneurship and training facility in Marinette.

The proposed project will help support area shipbuilders such as Marinette Marine Corp. which is building littoral combat ships for the U.S. Navy as well as specialty vessels for other customers.

The Wisconsin Maritime Center of Excellence will "serve as a focal point for the region's growth plans by keeping their resources competitive within the shipbuilding industry," the proposal states. ...